Project Update (Sketchbook work)

These are some more screenshots from sketchbook one. I still have some finishing touches to make, and a few pages to finish, but I feel it will help to show where my concept ideas come from. I'm currently working on sketchbook 2, and will upload images from this soon.

Project Update

I am going to work this week, on making finishing touches to both sketchbooks, but will be focusing on now finishing me concept developments, I like some ideas from concept one and three, so will make my final developments using black ink and water colour. by the 4th of January I ai to create my final character model and expression sheet. Screenshots of sketchbooks to follow. I will use the 7th till the 14th to finish up all written work. I have some books which In think will enhance my literature review and production document, I aim to have my final learning contract submitted by the 22nd of january.

Here is my up to date log of how I'm going to spend this week. I'm going to spend roughly 3-5 hours a day on project work, to allow me to also enjoy the rest of the xmas break.

27/12/10 - Continue to develop ideas from concept one, and three

28/12/10 - Continue trials on maya

29/12/10 - Work on rough storyboards

30/12/10 - Continue rough storyboards

2/01/11 - Finish off sketchbook #1

3/01/11 - Continue to develop Concepts/choose best Idea

4/01/11 - Work on model and expression sheet/Finish typing up Script

5/01/11 - Finish storyboards and (or) final model/expression sheet

6/01/11 - Concept Development Submission (Sketchbook and copy of storyboards/Script & some images from sketchbook #2)

7/11/10 - 13/11/10 - Work on updating Proposal and Production Document


(Will upload more images of sketchbook work 1 &2)

Learning Contract/ Project Update

Got an email yesterday from Jim which shows that the deadline for this module has been changed to the 24th January. This means that there is more time when we get back after the xmas break to make any changes from the feedback recieved.

At the moment I am still working on sketchbook stuff, including finishing off my inspiration sketchbook, while I'm not working on concept development work.

Screenshots from Sketchbook 1 and 2

In sketchbook 1, I am continuing to research into different visual styles, and studying these, and experimenting, to help my form ideas for sketchbook 2. I'm creating 3 concepts with the visual styles I liked the most from sketchbook 1. I think this is a very effective way of forming ideas, before moving on to make the final character model and expression sheets. It also shows where your inspiration, and possible ideas have came from.


(Sketchbook 1)


(Sketchbook 1)


(Sketchbook 1)


(Sketchbook 1)


(Sketchbook 1)


(Sketchbook 1)


(Sketchbook 1)


(sketchbook 2)

Kinnect of the Future! ; Continued

Virtual Invisibility

You’re not just the controller with Kinect, you can be the Predator! Two Kinects are paired with the freebie ‘openFrameworks’ software to make this user completely invisible. If you don’t like the results maybe you’ll appreciate the cool jazz soundtrack:



The sound of Music

Clever people have programmed Kinect to produce a virtual keyboard that can be scaled in size and played on any flat surface. It’s not as slick as Tom Hanks’routine in the movie ‘Big’, but we wouldn’t be at all surprised if this interpretation of Kinect’s capabilities finds its way into a real game:



No strings attached

Here Kinect picks up hand gestures and arm movements to control a large, comical bird-puppet. Home-theatre applications are immediately apparent, or maybe this is something for budding ventriloquists? Either way, Microsoft needs to start using this tech now!

Kinnect of the Future!

Through more research into virtual reality formats, here are some videos that show what kinnect could acheive in the very recent future...

Kinect, the motion-sensing camera for Xbox 360 that turns you into the controller, hides a lot of very clever technology under its sleek black hood. For most of us that doesn’t mean a thing as long it plays great games. For others, though, Kinect represents nothing less than the opportunity to pull the device apart, investigate its innards and put it to new and exciting uses that Microsoft probably never dreamed of.

The speed at which this has happened has been surprising too. Kinect is barely a month old yet the internet is already awash with university projects and madcap investigative initiatives that not only find new ways to flex Kinect’s powerful technology but point the way forward for its future – both within games and, perhaps, beyond.

Put another way, the likes of Kinect Sports and Dance Central are going to look very old fashioned very soon. Here then is a selection of some of the best – or wackiest – new uses for Kinect. It could be taking the dog for a walk in a couple of years. You think we’re kidding...?

Minority Report for real
An enterprising hacker has used Kinect to bring a keyboard-less, multi-touch future a step closer to reality. Just like in the movie ‘Minority Report, in fact. His precognitive crime-fighting skills remain to be proved, but he's a dab hand at manipulating Windows 7:



Kinect takes flight
Strap Kinect to a toy helicopter and what do you get? The ‘Kinect Quadrotor’ from Berkley University’s Hybrid Systems Lab can not only fly around on its own but can see objects in its away and avoid them. It’s either a spooky portent of things to come or a bunch of students larking about. You decide:



Step into a new dimension
Kinect can already track your movements in 3D, but one man has taken things a stage further by linking two Kinects together. The results are a bit ropey, visually-speaking, but are impressive nonetheless – especially when the little monster from Doom appears on his desk:

Meeting with Robin

Today we discussed as a group about the structure of the dissertation, and will be refining another set of objectives and activities that refer to the completion of the dissertation. Research methods and target dates were discussed. I also took part in Robins focus group based on watching 60 short emotional expressions and discussing as a group what we saw, considering what the character could be feeling, thinking, and the context that the expressions could be used in. I found this very interesting, and it relates to some of the research that could be useful for my project. I submited my draft learning contract, and will wait for the feedback in January. I also submitted my ethics form, and emailed it. I'm going to focus on my sketchbook work now as mentioned in my previous log. More screenshots of it to follow soon.

Project Update

I'm running a little behind schedule, I'm still working on concept one, I am focusing on the the Victim Jaime, experimenting with shape and propartion. I am working in series starting with basic shape. I now aim to start work on concept 2 starting from the 13th of december... I need to use tomorow to get my xmas shopping done, so I can keep focusing on my sketchbook work in the run up to xmas eve. I plan to take xmas eve, xmas day, and boxing day off, and then continue with the work till new years eve, have new years day off, and continue with sketchbook work till the 4th of january, and work on my storyboards on the 5th, take photos of some of the development work, and put the files on CD including my script, and submit on the 6th for Belinda. The rest of the time will be finishing off my development sketchbook till the 10th, and then making changes to any written work untill the 13th, and submit the rest of the modules on the 14th.

Log Update:

11/12/10: Finish work on concept one for the characters

12/12/10: Xmas shopping day

13/12/10: Start concept 2 for the characters

14/12/10: Meeting with Robin/Take part in Robins focus study (Character Emotion)

15/12/10: Continue work on concept 2

16/12/10: Continue work on concept 2/Finish off script/ Type up final draft

17/12/10: Continue work on concept 2

18/12/10: Finish work on concept 2/ Finish off Inspiration sketchbook

19/12/10: Finish off Inspiration sketchbook/Start Concept 3

20/12/10: Continue work on concept 3

21/12/10: Continue work on concept 3/Experiment on mudbox

22/12/10: Continue work on concept 3/Experiment on Sculptrise

23/12/10: Finish off Inspiration Sketchbook/Experiment on Maya

Aim of my Project (Refined)

Through feedback of my current aim, objective, and activities, I feel that the main aim I already have explains what I want from my project output, but doesn't really show what I want to gain through the whole project process, so I have decided to word my project aim slightly different, and talk about some of the research area's I will investigate in the form of questions which will help me produce my dissertation learning contract for Robin as disscused...

Project Aim:

"The aim of the project, is to identify,evaluate, and compare effective translation processes which help to portay emotion. The output of the investigation will be an animation which focuses on character emotion within a narrative for the advertisement message... Are YOU a BULLY?"

What I mean by translaton processes are the things that help contribute portraying character emotion;

Multimedia Formats(Games, Animation, Live Action, Virtual Reality)
Character Rigging(blendshapes, bones etc)
Software Packages (maya, Zbrush, Mudbox)
Narrative Structures
Visual Style
Character Design
audio
Advertisement Methods(online Advertising, Advertising Campaigns)

These are some of the questions I will be working towards disscusing and answering for my dissertation, I'm going to work on producing objectives and activities which details what and how I'm going to find these answers, and structure them into the dissertation as soon as I'm finished with Januarys deadlines.

What is emotion?

How can you translate realistic character emotion into non human characters?

Can different visual styles contibute more emotion than others?

Does visual style matter, as long as you have a good narrative?

How does audio contribute to communicating character emotions?

Can 3D animation produce more emotional expression than 2D?

Do the priciples of animation always need to apply in terms of character emotion?

What is the process of creating a successful advertising campaign which portray sensitive issues like bullying, child & animal abuse?

What could be done differently now, that perhaps hasn't been acheived with previous advertisement campaigns focusing on anti bullying campaigns?

What is the future of advertising campaigns?

Project Update

Doesn't look like I will be getting into uni any time soon, unless there is a dramatic change in the weather... so will continue with sketchbook work, and try to experiment more in sculptrise, and maya... I plan to download the mudbox student edition, and play around with the software soon. I'm still trying to aim to get concept one of my characters complete for the 10th of december.

Sketchbook #1 Continued

Exploring mixed media, and emotional expression.

Proposal Feedback

I had some good feedback from Colin. I have a few changes to make, and plan to add a bit more within the literature review. I will make these changes closer to the deadline, and continuing concept one for the bully and victim characters up till the 10th of december. I'm going to try have a meeting with Robin and John next week, I am concerned however, that there is going to be train and bus disruptions for days to come yet... and am still pretty much snowed in from getting to the main road. I will keep in touch by email.

Project Update

I have now completed my first draft of the research proposal, all I can do now is await feedback from Colin. Now that all the written stuff has been completed, I can concentrate on the pre production sketchbook, and finish my inspiration sketchbook. I plan to have concept one complete by the 10th of december, concept 2 by the 20th december, and concept 3 by the 3rd of January. I plan to have the final script typed up by the 4th of January, and Rough Storyboards by the 5th of January.

Pixar's UP (Research for the Case Study)

Tim Burtons The Nightmare Before Christmas (Research for Case Study)

as part of my research, I'm going to look closely at two contrasting animation's,Tim Butons; The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Pixar's UP, considering the visual style, character design, and narrative structures. From this I will produce two case studies, and compare them. The point of doing this is to help me towards looking at whether character emotion comes from the visual style, character design, the narrative, or all of these elements. Do you need a narrative?, or can you empathyse with a character just standing with no environment, portraying a number of different emotional states?

Objectives and Activities Refined

– Project Objectives

 Objective 1: Identify and discuss formats that advertisement campaigns could be implemented into, and evaluate how it would enhance the emotional response.
 1.1: Investigate and identify game, animation, and virtual reality formats, and why they would enhance the emotional response.
 1.2: Research the history of advertisement campaigns, and compare, discuss and evaluate how they have changed throughout the years.
 1.3: Produce 3 case studies discussing how the formats could be implemented to my advertisement campaign.
 1.4: Identify and discuss Case studies that describe various emotions from the bully and victim’s perspective of the long lasting effects of bullying.

 Objective 2: Identify, discuss, and compare translation processes which portray character emotion.
 2.1: Identify and evaluate various influences, and visual styles which provide inspiration for my project and experiment with this in sketchbook#1
 2.2: produce 2 case studies on two contrasting visual styles, considering the narrative structures.
 2.3: Produce and record a narrated narrative which will be used within my animation to help communicate the characters emotions.

 Objective 3: Discuss, evaluate, and develop 3 concepts for my characters, experimenting with visual style, and mixed media, before choosing one concept to develop further.
 3.1: Complete the pre production work for the characters, including development ideas, script, (narrated narrative) storyboards, and final model & expression sheets in sketchbook#2.
 3.2: Use the case studies, and background research to write up my dissertation, and using it to answer other research area questions, as well as it answering my specific research question.
 3.3: Discuss, evaluate, and determine what facial and body rigs to use for the characters
 3.4: Model, and rig the characters
 3.5: Skin & Paint weights

 Objective 4: Produce a 2 – 3 min finished piece of animation, which focuses on character emotion, and narrated narrative within an advertisement message.
 4.1: Production of the animation
 4.2: Rendering of the animation
 4.3: Post – Production: Exporting the movie, after effects, and importing the sound and recorded narration.
 4.4: Present my project to a professional standard which will include, making a CD cover, mounting up key development work, and the binding of my dissertation to get ready for submission, and for the degree show.